The Female Experience: A letter from the Senior Writer

Feminism is a driving force for many young Americans today. Yet as far as we’ve come, we have further to go. Females have evolved through various stereotypes and will continue to do so. We constantly take one step forward, only to be pushed back ten steps.

In the words of Amy Poehler “It takes years as a woman to unlearn everything you’ve been taught to be sorry for.”

As a young female growing up in an extremely religious environment I did not have the same opportunities that most girls my age did. Better yet, I didn’t even have the choice of opportunity.

No longer in that environment and free to formulate my own thoughts, I am free to voice my own opinion. I still do not understand. Why is it so important to silence the wives, mothers, daughters, and grandmothers?

Some say men have underlying psychological fears of women in places of power. Tell me this, are you afraid to walk to your car at night? Do you force your friends to go to the bathroom together in case some guy gets the wrong idea? Are you the one pretending to talk on the phone because someone makes you uncomfortable? Do you plan your outfit in a strategic ways so you don’t get nasty looks? Are you being used as a punching bag for degrading and derogatory phrases? Are you the one afraid to stand up for yourself because you don’t think people will listen?

If women endure these things, then I ask, what are you afraid of?

Women say we want to be equal. We have to have equal rights and opportunities. We shouldn’t be swept under the rug for doing the same a job a male does, but receiving less compensation.

The American Association of University Women said the highest jobs where women loose money is due to gender wage gap. Those jobs are financial managers, physicians, and accountants. Here, the pay ratio between male and female goes up to 65 percent.

For a while, women accepted this statistic because we were afraid men would say they would find someone else to do the job. Now, we know better.

Women don’t want to be equal. Male and female can never be equal. We want the acceptance to try for the things we desire.

Men make up the dominant culture therefore women are forced to adapt and understand the way man think. Yet, men do not possess the same motivation for understanding how women operate.

It is time for that to change. It is time for men to understand how the world is going to work with women evolving throughout it. Men will never experience the same as female, so it’s time we show you firsthand.